Vietnam has joined the ranks of countries in the world with high human development, said a report released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on December 16.

Addressing the report launch, UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen praised Vietnam for embarking firmly on people-centered development and prioritizing human development and equality in its socio-economic development strategies and plans.

Ms. Wiesen said Vietnam’s High Human Development is a remarkable achievement and also creates opportunities for greater and more rapid progress in the coming development period.

She said the country is at a critical juncture as it designs its next Socio-Economic Development Strategy, with decisions made today determining whether it will continue on it current path of growth and low inequality, and whether it can simultaneously shift to reducing pressure on the planet to enhance the harmony of the people and the environment.

UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen speaks at the report launch.

“I would like to reaffirm that UNDP stands ready to partner with Vietnam in this journey to redesign a path to progress that respects the intertwined fate of people and planet,” she stressed.

For his part, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong praised the Human Development Index (HDI) report for introducing a new experimental index on human progress that takes into account countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and material footprint - planetary-pressures adjusted HDI.

“With the index, Vietnam, as one of the countries hardest hit by climate change, will have additional orientation foundation to issue and implement policies in response to environmental pollution and climate change,” Vice Minister Phuong added.

The report lays out a stark choice for world leaders - take bold steps to reduce the immense pressure that is being exerted on the environment and the natural world, or humanity’s progress will stall.

The report introduces a new experimental index on human progress that takes into account countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and material footprint - planetary-pressures adjusted HDI.

Notably, Vietnam’s Human Development progress has been achieved with moderate and stable levels of inequality. Vietnam’s loss of HDI value due to inequality in 2019 is 16.5%, its loss of income due to inequality is 19.1%. In fact, when considering Vietnam’s Inequality Adjusted HDI, the country is 10 places higher than its HDI ranking in 2019.

The 2020 Human Development Report considers the challenge of accelerating progress in human development while reducing inequality and reducing humanity’s negative impact on the natural environment.
Vietnam’s HDI value for 2019 is 0.704, putting the country in the high human development category and positioning it at 117 out of 189 countries and territories.